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Grief is a normal and natural response to loss. Whether the loss involves the death of a loved one, the end of a special relationship, or becoming disabled - anyone, at any age can experience loss or grief.

Our bereavement counsellor in Newcastle Upon Tyne will walk along the path of your loss always caring,listening and talking with you to enable you to find the right path that suits you the client.

Bereavement Counselling

Seeing a Bereavement Counsellor may help alleviate some concerns surrounding loss and grief. ASCA Counselling have qualified & experienced bereavement counsellors who can help you understand grief, and our natural reactions to loss, supporting you in your journey to recovery.

What is grief?

Grief is a normal and natural response to loss, anyone at any age can experience loss or grief.

At many points after a loss, the grieving person can benefit from the support of others and bereavement counselling. Individual grief reactions can vary widely, not only from person to person, but also within the same person over time. Accordingly, friends need to be ready to accept and support the griever through a wide range of emotions.

As helpful and supportive as friends can be during this time, sometimes they are too close to people to be objective and a bereaved person may need to say things which can be judged harshly by those closest to them and this is where bereavement counselling is a valuable service as clients are able to express views without being judged or condemned for them.

Society promotes many misconceptions about grief that may actually hinder the recovery and growth that follow loss. Friends need to avoid these and other ways of predetermining what another's grief process should be like. Bereavement counselling can provide a good alternative to friends and close family.

..and no matter what anybody says about grief and about time healing all wounds, the truth is, there are certain sorrows that never fade away until the heart stops beating and the last breath is taken.

— Unknown Author

Reactions To Loss

At various times, but especially at first, those grieving may experience intense and sometimes conflicting feelings or may deny that the loss has occurred. Strong feelings such as sadness, helplessness, loneliness, guilt, or anger can emerge. Experiencing and accepting these feelings as natural represents an important part of the recovery process.

Ultimately, the grieving person reaches a point in the recovery process where the loss becomes integrated into his or her set of life experiences. He or she is then better able to carry out the tasks of daily living. Bereavement counselling can help the individual reach this stage. It is normal to search for something we have lost and searching is a common reaction to bereavement - we may believe we saw our loved one or heard them and while this can be comforting for many, it can also be frightening but as a reaction to bereavement, these can be perfectly normal.

Throughout this recovery period, people who are grieving will experience many reactions. Some of the following reactions are discussed as part of the bereavement counselling service we provide:

1. Denial, shock, numbnessReactions which distance the grieving person from the loss, thereby protecting him/her from being overwhelmed by emotions. 2. Emotional releasesThese reactions accompany realisations for different aspects of the loss, they frequently involve much crying and they are often important to the healing process. Bereavement is never the same for any two people and our reactions to a bereavement can lead to many emotions we have not previously experienced - let it out safely, it's perfectly natural. 3. Reactive depressionNatural feelings beyond sadness (e.g feelings of loneliness, isolation, hopelessness, self-pity) which occur as the person more clearly recognises the extent of their loss. For many, depression is part of the necessary internal processing of the loss which the grieving person must go through before reorganising his/her life. 4. PanicFeeling overwhelmed, confused, fearful, unable to cope, and believing something is wrong with oneself. 5. RemorseFollowing a loss (whether through death, relationship break-up or disability) a grieving person often becomes preoccupied with thoughts of what he/she might have done differently to have prevented the loss or to have made things better. This can be helpful as the person tries to make sense out of his or her situation, but can also lead to unrealistic feelings of remorse or guilt.

When Will I Get Better?

Just as there is no single pattern to grief, there is no single way to help a grieving person. Both the grieving person and any friend who is trying to help may feel unsure and uncomfortable. Either way, remember that it is important to be yourself and allow yourself to feel any and all emotions, either a single session or a course of sessions may be beneficial to discover coping strategies for individuals and all it takes is a phone call or e-mail to us and we can offer you the chance to explore issues in your own time.

The only people who think there’s a time limit for grief, have never lost a piece of their heart. Take all the time you need. 